tocq, coming up with his
Prussians, had reached Rositten, between nine and ten miles away, where
he received orders to hurry onward. The French held the town of Eylau;
in and near it were the troops of Murat, Soult, Augereau, and just in
their rear the Emperor with the guard. Ney was farther to the north and
west on the left, with orders to cut off Lestocq. The terrain abounded
in lakes and ponds of considerable size, but a black frost had rendered
them so hard, and the snow had so completely bedecked them, that they
were for the purposes of manoeuvering as available as the solid
earth, both for cavalry and artillery.

When day broke on February eighth the general arrangement of the
hostile lines was such as to favor neither. Soult was before the town
on the French left, Augereau in the center, and Saint-Hilaire with one
division of Soult on the right. Behind the two latter was Murat with
the cavalry; in the rear, on rising ground, was the guard under
Bessieres as a reserve. Davout was far out on the right near
Bartenstein. The total number of French on the ground was about eighty
thousand. The Russian right was commanded by Tutschkoff, the center by
Sacken, the left by Ostermann-Tolstoi; their reserve was behind the
center, under Doctoroff and Prince Galitzin. Their total number was
about fifty-eight thousand, but they were superior to their enemy in
artillery. Between the armies, in a low plain, lay several of the
frozen ponds, covered with snow. Napoleon's plan was to send Davout
around the Russian left flank, while Saint-Hilaire engaged Tolstoi.
Augereau and the cavalry were to be hurled against the center and to
push toward the enemy's right; the combined onset would roll up
Bennigsen's entire line and result in a rout; Ney would intervene, and
make the battle not only decisive, but annihilating.

The combination did not work out correctly. It was a raw and bitter
day; during the morning there were occasional snow flurries, and at
midday a heavy downfall. Bennigsen seized the initiative, and opened
the battle by a cannonade. Napoleon, divining his plan, sent a
messenger for Ney to come and strengthen Soult. At nine the Russian
right advanced and drove in the French left, which was weak, to the
town. At that moment the order was given for Augereau and
Saint-Hilaire to move. In the driving storm they lost connection with
each other, and the latter was repulsed by Russian cavalry, while
Augereau's corps was almost d